Designed around the shape of the letter ‘Z’, this electric bike is a testament to the freedom that electric powertrains can provide to designers. No longer are you confined by components and mechanics revolving around fuel-based propulsion systems. As long as you’ve got a battery somewhere, and a motor connected to your wheels, you’ve got yourself an e-bike… and that advancement is a pretty great thing for transportation designers.
The Z-Motorcycle’s design is dominated by the Z shape that forms the core of its design. The Z starts at the headlight, finding its way down to the rear wheel, cutting through the bulk of the motorcycle’s form. It also dictates the bike’s design, with a relatively flat top, featuring integrated fold-out handles and footrests, the absence of rearview mirrors, and a seat that smoothly extrudes out of the Z’s spine and cantilevers ever so gently off the rear wheel. The Z’s shape, apart from giving the bike its iconic form, also gives it a fair bit of function, says Joseph Robinson. It can behave as a tachometer or turn indicator, or even an indicator as you charge your bike. Speaking of charging, the bike even comes with a detachable battery in the mass right behind the front wheel. It delivers power to a motor located in the lower rear-arm of the Z, making the Z-Motorcyle a rear-wheel-drive with a form that’s definitely set to grab a few eyeballs!
Designer: Joseph Robinson
